In heat exchanges of this kind, the two pipe connections serve respectively as an inlet and an outlet for a liquid, for example a water and glycol mixture, for cooling the oil which flows through a chamber mounted in the interior of the casing. This chamber generally comprises a stack of pairs of half plates, with the oil entering and leaving through two conduits which are sealingly attached through the wall of the casing. Such a heat exchanger is conventionally mounted between the engine casing and the oil filter that is associated with it.
Up to the present time, the two tubular pipe connections are brazed or welded on to the corresponding apertures of the housing, and this gives rise to a number of drawbacks. Firstly, fitting of the two pipe connections necessitates a brazing or welding operation and therefore an additional operation during the manufacturing process. In addition, this arrangement involves making the heat exchanger of such a size as to be inconvenient in the case where the pipe connections are of bent configurations.